I stripped one of my bed bolts....help

I know if your bolt head is ruined this is too late. I wonder if this is a good lesson to us and we should take them out if we can and get some anti-sieze lube on those threads? Not that I want to start problems! I've got a cheap parts store impact screwdriver that I think may have the right bit. Since you use a hammer with it you really can't strip the screw head easily. I'll put it on the list.

LIST+=1... errverflow

 

Tack weld a piece of metal to it then twist out

 

I ruined only 1 of mine, my fault. Just make sure your using the proper size torx. All the torx hardware seems to be very accurate and there should be zero "slop" between your tool and the bolt. (T-55 I think) I had one size too small, and one size too big, but they did go back in all nice & "silverey" from the anti-sieze

 

Sharing here because this 2010 thread still comes up first on Google for "Tacoma stripped bed bolt", and I have an extraction method which may be helpful to the community.
Problem: The torx head on one of the six bolts gave way (under load of 4+ ft breaker bar).
Considered:
Drilling | hole would have to be really long and very straight -could damage frame or weldnut
Extractor | 4Ft of breaker bar - no go
Pipe wrench | could not get purchase on head
Solution:
The head on these is somewhat larger than 3/4, so I figured if I could grind for a 3/4 square (much easier to grind a precise square than a hex) I could put a 3/4 extension on the head.
1) Acquired a 3/4 female to 1 inch male adaptor (

$29 SUNEX TOOLS 4300 3/4" Female 1" Male Impact Socket Adapter

example)
2) Ground the 3/4 face on the adaptor flat so that it would sit flush to the bed (maximizing head contact). I used a mill, though this step could be done with an angle grinder
3) Created a precise 3/4 square template out of aluminum flashing and marked the bolt head with a scribe
4) Using an angle grinder, very carefully cut the head of the bolt (including the washer) to a 3/4 square
5) Placed the 3/4 adaptor on the bolt head, and turned it with a 3 ft pipe wrench on the 1 inch square part. With a big screech it broke loose!

 

In a just world, the Toyota engineers who designed self-tapping bolts would be sentenced to 6 months of removing them from 10 year old trucks. They show up all over the truck, and they are always an unpleasant experience. Serviceability is at least as important as ease of assembly. [End of rant]

 

Weld a nut on top and then remove ,simple.

 

Use the proper removal procedure and you won’t strip out the bolt head.

Spray your favorite penetrating oil on the threads at the frame. Use a good quality torx bit with a 1/2” breaker bar and a 2’ cheater pipe. Work the bolt back and forth. At 1st, it won’t seem like it’s moving. Keep working it. Eventually you will feel it moving. Keep spraying and working it back and forth. After about 20 minutes per bolt, it will come out. I did all mine that way and greased them BEFORE I took it to the dealer for a frame swap. The tech really appreciated that I did that.

 

Just been through this. I stripped the first bolt trying to use a standard wrench. A pipe wrench solved it for me. The larger pipe wrench I have could not get purchase. The smaller one did great. For the second bolt, I used a breaker bar from the get go, so that didn’t strip.

 

Followed your advice using a smaller pipe wrench, worked well. Now if only I had done that before stripping the damn screw...

 

This is an excellent idea! I took mine out and greased all of them last year. Luckily, mine were in pretty good shape.

 

I swapped the bed on my truck and luckily the bolts came out with no issues.
I did coat them with anti-seize when they went back in.

*Make sure to torque the bed bolts to factory specs so you don't end up with a damaged bed.*
Tight is not good enough.

 

What I ended up doing is getting a grinder and making the round hat into a 6 point bolt. Then hammered in a socket that was the closest size and it worked for me.

 

Exactly. It’s a good idea to remove any zinc from the parts prior, but weld up a big nut and turn it off. Use a wet rag to keep the bed tub from melting. Chase the threads, and install a new bolt.

 

I haven't had the displeasure of doing this..... Yet.

I've found, especially with through bolts; is that the rust and crap on the end off the bolt ends up forking you the most. Wire brushing the exposed ends of the bolts, when possible, helps a lot.

I've also had luck luck with tightening before loosening. This breaks the rust at the end of the nut and makes it easier to flake of as you work the bolt back and forth.

Patience, sometimes lots, is also crucial.

 

Not a bad idea. Maybe some red loctite and call it a day

 

Ummm I wouldn’t do that. I would torque the bolts down to spec and in a month it would rattle again. The bed would rub thru the plastic bed and rattle. But the bolts were still torqued down to spec.

so I had to take the bolts off and put a rubber washer.

 

Rubber washer between the plastic bed and the frame mounting point right?!

 

correct. i made a video about it.

did this about 2 years ago and still no rattles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfMPGFWJneg